2023 Peter Michael Winery Chardonnay La Carriere Knights Valley
Regular price $134.98
93-96 Wine Advocate - I tasted the 2023 Chardonnay La Carrière from tank just before it was bottled. It has inviting aromas of guava, peach, panna cotta, well-integrated new oak spices and top notes of Meyer lemon. The palate is satiny and mouth coating with luxuriously ripe, layered, spicy flavors. It’s balanced by vibrant acidity that adds focus to its generous flavors, and it has a very long, nuanced finish.
The name La Carrière aptly describes this site’s bowl shape and its tremendously rocky soils. Situated between 1,200 and 1,700 feet (366 and 518 meters) above sea level on steep mountain slopes exceeding 40 percent in grade, the vineyard has ideal southern and southeastern exposures. The vineyard’s shallow rocky soils provide excellent drainage, low fertility, and usually the lowest yields on the estate. ‘La Carrière,’ with its concentrated “liquid minerality,” effectively reflects its mountainous origin.